Description of Outdoor Research Synapse Jacket - Women's:
Thanks to its scant 3.4oz weight, the Outdoor Research Women's Synapse Jacket makes the cut for any trip into the hills. This water-resistant Outdoor Research shell fights off an unexpected rain storm, and the windproof fabric prevents you from getting chilled if a breeze kicks up. The Synapse Jacket stuffs into its own internal chest pocket when you don't need to wear it.
Bottom Line: You always have room in your pack for the Outdoor Research Synapse Jacket.
Everyone said this jacket was okay but noisy... I think it's perfect for hiking when that unexpected gust of wind or rain shower comes your way. It's lightweight so it doesn't make spring/summer showers hellish with too many layers! It packs right up into itself and if you crumble and shove it in your pack, it comes right back out wrinkle free. Love it!
This jacket's fabric is the thinnest I've ever seen in a jacket -- it's kind of neat, really; almost like paper. I want an extremely lightweight jacket to block wind when I'm cross-country skiing on very cold and windy days. My current windbreaker (a Swix, which I like very much) is great, but I end up overheating sometimes. The OR Synapse jacket really is super-lightweight, and might work great, but I didn't like a couple things about it. It does run small; if I'd liked the jacket enough, I would have exchanged it for the next larger size. But I didn't. (1) This fabric is LOUD. Usually, when I say a fabric is loud, I'm referring to a garish color or print. In this case, it's not the look; it's the sound. It's way louder than your average nylon-shell swishing sound, and I think that would drive me nuts while skiing. (2) The cinch-cord doohickey for the hood is in the back of the hood -- so it's hard to reach and hard to work; *and* it looks seriously dorky to have that... that... that *thing*.... sticking out the back of your head. What was Outdoor Research thinking?
bought this jacket on SAC over a year ago. i own dozens of jackets for all sorts of adventures, and this one comes with me nearly all the time. clip it to my harness on multipitch climbs to have a windbreaker at belays. great early morning summer layer to keep bugs off without overheating. same at dusk- if it's hot and buggy i turn to this layer. it's my emergency layer on all hiking trips. SUPER LIGHT (3.4 ounceS) so don't expect the fabric to be thick, but i wear it all the time and couldn't live without it for work as a guide, or for play in colorado.
